1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a travel document folder, card case or luggage tag used by travelers. More precisely, the present invention relates to a travel document folder such as a passport holder, U-rail pass carrier, airline ticket folder, luggage tag, card case with or without a key attachment mechanism or the like having a time zone conversion chart rotatably mounted to the folder, tag or case for convenient conversion of local time from one time zone to another.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
Since the advance of transportation technology, the world has become a smaller place. Indeed, travel between continents is an everyday occurrence for many business people. Regardless of whether it is by plane, ship, or train, distances traversed today are much greater than in years gone by due in part to the high speeds at which these vessels travel. Because distances covered are so vast, it is inevitable that during the course of a trip a traveler may have to change time zones. To be sure, for international business travelers changing time zones is a common occurrence. Even traveling across the United States from Los Angeles to New York requires crossing three times zones; namely, from Pacific to Mountain to Central to Eastern time zones. For active travelers who must constantly change time zones, it can be a nuisance to mentally estimate the correct time zone at the destination. For business travelers who have to schedule meetings, proper calculation of local time is crucial to coordinate personnel who are in remote locales.
There have been efforts in the prior art to simplify the active traveler's task. One such device electronically performs the time zone conversion. The circuitry is adapted to a two-dimensional map of the world that is touch sensitive. By pressing down on different parts of the map to indicate the specific geographic location, the user triggers a microprocessor that calculates the local time at the touched location. Unfortunately, such a device is expensive. Also being electronic, the device requires batteries to operate. Finally, just remembering to bring the device along on trips limits its usefulness.
Some specialized digital wristwatches have an electronic time zone conversion feature. Other wristwatches rely on a rotating bezel to perform the time zone conversion. But buying a wristwatch specifically for its time conversion feature may not always be appropriate.
Therefore, a need presently exists for providing a means of converting local time in one time zone to another. It is desirable that this device be conveniently located for easy access by the frequent traveler.